Strategy: Strategic Management and Competitive Advantage
Chapter1
Essay Questions
101. Compare and contrast strategic planning with strategic management.
Strategic planning is more often used in the business world, whereas strategic management is often used in academia. Sometimes, strategic management is used to refer to strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation, with strategic planning referring only to strategy formulation. The purpose of strategic management is to exploit and create new and different opportunities for tomorrow; long-range planning, in contrast, tries to optimize for tomorrow the trends of today.
Page: 5
102. Which stage in the strategic-management process is most difficult? Explain why. Strategy implementation is the most difficult stage in the strategic-management process because it requires personal discipline, commitment and sacrifice. Successful strategy implementation hinges upon managers’ ability to motivate employees, which is more of an art than a science.
Page: 6
103. Explain the relationship between strategic management and competitive advantage for firms. How can a firm achieve sustained competitive advantage?
Ans: Strategic management is all about gaining and maintaining competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is anything a firm does especially well compared to rival firms. When a firm can do something that rival firms cannot do, or owns something that rival firms desire, that can represent a competitive advantage. Getting and keeping competitive advantage is essential for long-term success of an organization. A firm must strive to achieve sustained competitive advantage by (1) continually adapting to changes in external trends and events and internal capabilities, competencies and resources, and by (2) effectively formulating, implementing and evaluating strategies that capitalize upon those factors.
Page: 8-9
104. Define what strategists are. Describe what they do in an organization.
Strategists are individuals who are most
Essay Questions
101. Compare and contrast strategic planning with strategic management.
Strategic planning is more often used in the business world, whereas strategic management is often used in academia. Sometimes, strategic management is used to refer to strategy formulation, implementation and evaluation, with strategic planning referring only to strategy formulation. The purpose of strategic management is to exploit and create new and different opportunities for tomorrow; long-range planning, in contrast, tries to optimize for tomorrow the trends of today.
Page: 5
102. Which stage in the strategic-management process is most difficult? Explain why. Strategy implementation is the most difficult stage in the strategic-management process because it requires personal discipline, commitment and sacrifice. Successful strategy implementation hinges upon managers’ ability to motivate employees, which is more of an art than a science.
Page: 6
103. Explain the relationship between strategic management and competitive advantage for firms. How can a firm achieve sustained competitive advantage?
Ans: Strategic management is all about gaining and maintaining competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is anything a firm does especially well compared to rival firms. When a firm can do something that rival firms cannot do, or owns something that rival firms desire, that can represent a competitive advantage. Getting and keeping competitive advantage is essential for long-term success of an organization. A firm must strive to achieve sustained competitive advantage by (1) continually adapting to changes in external trends and events and internal capabilities, competencies and resources, and by (2) effectively formulating, implementing and evaluating strategies that capitalize upon those factors.
Page: 8-9
104. Define what strategists are. Describe what they do in an organization.
Strategists are individuals who are most